Karen Azinger's Blog: The Silk & Steel Saga - Posts Tagged "writing"

Hello! I'm the author of The Silk & Steel Saga, an epic medieval fantasy full of plots, battles, romance, and schemes that will never let you underestimate the ‘weaker’ sex again. Writing fantasy has become my passion and a thrilling life adventure. I write what I love, sweeping medieval sagas with a sword-wielding princess, a brilliantly strategic queen, a mysterious archer, a cunning counselor, a seductive priestess and a silver-haired grandmother who wields knitting needles and knives. In this blog, I'll talk about insights to my books, about my writing and publishing experiences, and I'd love to answer any of your questions. Welcome to The Silk & Steel Saga.

To bring the settings of The Silk & Steel Saga to life, I often draw on my travels around the world. Visiting Chartres Cathedral in France, we listened as an Oxford professor “read” the peerless stonework and stained glass windows, explaining the biblical meanings as well as subtle comments on rulers and politics of the times. The artwork of the great cathedrals was in many ways the “newspaper” of its era. Impressed by these lectures, I was determined to give the same meaning to the architecture of Erdhe. One of the best examples of this is in chapter 27 of The Steel Queen. When Steffan arrives in Coronth, he first visits the great temple and “reads” the architecture. “Crossing the threshold, Steffan felt the chill of stone-cloistered shadows. The ceiling soared overhead, but instead of being light and airy, it captured smoke and darkness. A vault of gloom pressed down as if trying to drive him to his knees.” My readers walk into the temple with Steffan, feeling the stone-hewed malevolence of the Flame God.

The Battle Immortal, the fifth book of The Silk & Steel Saga, will be written in three parts, The North, The South, and The Battle Immortal. I just finished writing the last chapter of The South! So now the North and the South are both done and I'm on to The Battle Immortal...where all hell breaks loose! Thrilled with the way the chapters are pouring out of me! I feel like celebrating!!!!

Have your characters behaved as you expected them to, or have you ever been surprised by the twists and turns your plot takes? I set my characters on a path but they definitely have a will of their own. It is one of the things that makes writing so much fun. When I write a character I really put myself in that character’s boots and try to push the plot envelope. By understanding the characters drivers, his wants and needs, I find myself writing new plot twists as each character tries their best to live large. In some ways, writing is kind of a collaborate effort between myself and the characters to see where the plot will go. I believe my books are much stronger and much more interesting because I allow my characters to live and breathe and exert a will of their own. But as the author, I’ve got an agreement with my characters. The one thing they cannot violate is the underlying themes of the saga, so all my characters, the good, the bad, and the ugly, play within the themes. I believe the underlying themes are what gives this saga a sense of depth, complexity, and realism. The themes make the characters real and the plot twists believable.

In my opinion, a writer’s secret weapon is theme. Theme is the underlying message. Theme is what elevates a good book to a great read. To learn about theme, I studied Frank Herbert’s Dune, how he wove the themes of religion and environmental science into his settings, his characters, and his plots. If done well, your theme should permeate your book, from the plots to the characters to the dialogue to the settings. My epic medieval fantasy, The Silk & Steel Saga, has many themes woven through it. One of the main themes is to explore the mechanisms of evil. Evil is not just a horde of ugly orcs brandishing swords. In my saga, those who walk on the Dark side are beautiful, smart, and manipulative…which makes them scary as hell. The avatars of good must recognize evil and foil their mechanisms in order for good to have a chance to prevail. The second theme of the saga is prejudice, how stupid, cruel and wasteful it is. In the Silk & Steel Saga, those who are overlooked often make the greatest difference. And the third theme is how women gain, keep, and wield power in a medieval world. This third theme also influenced the very name of the saga itself, Silk And Steel Saga, with the acronym of SASS, I hope you will agree that the women in my saga have plenty of sass! As a reader, themes are the key to truly understanding a good book, as a writer, themes are the key to elevating a good book to a great book.

When I finished reading George Martin’s Storm of Swords, I desperately wanted more, but George takes a long time between books, and I really could not find anything else on the bookstore shelves that satisfied my craving. So I decided to write my own epic medieval fantasy, something similar but different. The first thing I borrowed from George was writing each chapter from the perspective of one point-of-view character. I love this writing style, the way it lets the reader and the author get deep into the character. It makes the story intimate and very personal, where the reader understands the dreams and fears of every POV character. The second thing I borrowed from George was complex plots and strategies. I wanted to write a big sweeping saga full of twists and turns that would surprise, shock, but also delight the reader, grabbing hold of your imagination and never letting go. But there were some things I wanted to do very differently. I wanted more women in the saga, not just women to bed and/or wed, but women that make a difference. From a sword-wielding princess, to a seductive priestess, to a queen who rules by coin and guile, to a silver-haired grandmother who wields knitting needles and knives, I wanted to explore how women gain, keep, and wield power in a medieval world. I wanted my saga to be a fast-paced sword-wielding adventure, but I also wanted it to be full of deeper meaning, so my saga explores the mechanisms of evil, the overarching theme the books. If the avatars of good cannot recognize or understand evil, then they will not prevail. And last but not least, I agree with George that some characters must die to make the risk real…but not all of them. If you love Game of Thrones like I do, I hope you will consider reading The Silk & Steel Saga. I’d love to hear how you think the two sagas compare.

What authors would you most like to meet? My top three are JRR Tolkien for his Lord of the Rings, Frank Herbert for Dune, and George Martin for Game of Thrones, the three authors that inspired my own writing. Sadly, time and fate make the first two impossible without a time machine, but not the third. Back in 2004, GRRM posted on his website that he planned to attend Foolscap, a small but cool fantasy conference in Seattle. Since this ‘con’ was within easy driving distance, I immediately signed up to attend. And then I contacted the con organizers and begged and pleaded to be put on a panel with George. I told them that I was an epic fantasy author and although my Silk & Steel Saga was not yet published, it was inspired by Game of Thrones. My pleas worked, and the organizers put me on a panel to compare Game of Thrones to Lord of the Rings. Wow! My first con panel and I’m sitting next to George Martin! It was an amazing experience. I followed George around the conference, attending every one of his panels, listening to his chapter reading, and getting him to sign all my SOIAF books. That night, I was one of a handful of fans to join him for drinks after the con. George was gracious and fascinating, keen to answer any question about his works or his writing methods. It was an amazing con, one I’ll never forget. So if you have an author you’d love to meet, consider attending a fantasy con. You never know who you might meet or what you might learn.

Another important dimension of the Silk & Steel Saga are the pockets of forgotten peoples in the kingdoms of Erdhe. Overlooked and often persecuted, these forgotten people develop unique counter cultures that seem strange and mysterious at first contact. An example of this can be found on the Isle of Souls, where the council of mystics uses a shocking test to confirm their fortunetellers. Those who succeed gain ‘spirit hands’ for the lintels of their shops…while those who fail pay in flesh and blood. Borrowed from the mystics of India, this trial is the type of cultural detail that gives the Isle of Souls a sense of depth and realism.
To develop cultures for my forgotten peoples, I often draw on experiences from my travels around the world. As a writer, I need to not only develop these alternate cultures but I need to "show them", not just "tell them". "Showing" a culture is usually done in the details. Details that confuse, or shock, or surprise the point of view character as well as the reader. These detailed differences are the key to making an alternate cultures believable.
In the Silk & Steel Saga, readers will discover many forgotten peoples with their own unique culture.

Creating great fantasy is equal parts world building and character building. Characters are the true heart of any story. The deeper and more complex the characters, the more soul-catching the story will be. We all love to read about brilliantly strategic queens, dauntless knights, corrupt kings, and scheming princes, for it is the characters who sweep us away on tides of emotion. They make us weep for loves lost, shock us by their betrayals, and thrill us when crowns are won or lost, but none of this happens unless the reader truly cares for the characters. So how does an author create characters that are both fascinating and believable? One way is by creating a compelling backstory.

Backstory is essentially the character’s background, but for literary purposes it is far more than just the character’s place of birth, his family status, or his schooling. To create a powerful backstory, a writer needs to give his characters emotional landmarks. It is the triumphs and the scars of life that forge the very soul of the character. These emotional landmarks steer the character’s choices like a relentless compass. They give the character hidden depths and make them believable and intriguing. One of the best examples of a powerful backstory is Professor Snape in Harry Potter. Snape’s abiding love for Lilly explains all his actions, all his difficult choices. To be truly effective, the author must be consistent in how backstory influences a character’s decisions. Everything must make sense in the light of the reveal.

I’ll tell you a secret about backstory…it’s a secret! Who doesn’t love a good secret? Secrets are delicious story questions. The more secrets your characters have the more they will tantalize your readers. Give your characters lost loves, or thwarted ambitions, unfulfilled dreams, secret fears, or skeletons in their closet. An example of a great secret in Game of Thrones is 'who are Jon Snow's parents?' This question haunts the character through all the books, delighting fans with the chance to defend their own theories.

The fantasy genre provides authors with iridescent dimensions that other genres don’t have. Rare magical talents, secret skills, or a royal bloodline are often hidden in the backstory of fantasy characters. But no matter the genre, backstory provides powerful questions that weave beneath the plot and draw the reader through the story.

In my epic fantasy, The Silk & Steel Saga, you’ll find characters with secret pasts, hidden powers, suppressed loves, shocking bloodlines, and buried crimes. From the brilliant Queen Liandra, to the seductive Priestess, to the cunning Lord Raven, you’ll empathize with the good and pray they prevail but you truly feast on the bad who are utterly compelling.

Renaissance Festivals are a great way to get your medieval on! For a writer, they are a source of inspiration and renewed wonder. From the music to the costumes to the greetings as you walk from craft booth to game booth, festivals are fun and rich with medieval trappings. For a fantasy writer, they are a great way to discover little details that make a story feel real. I especially love to watch the jousting and the clash of steel on the tournament field. Two years ago, I went to the Mercer Island festival and watched the Seattle Knights joust. Last weekend I went to the Canterbury Festival in Silverton Oregon and watched the Imperial Knights clash arms on the tournament field. Brightly painted shields, colorful surcoats, dented armor, caparisoned horses, the pageantry of knights on the tournament field is always a wonder to behold. Festivals are held all across the US and all around the globe. So do a search online and find the nearest renaissance festival and treat yourself to medieval time! I'll be posting photos from the Canterbury Festival on my two Facebook pages. Stop by and visit and share the wonder.
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